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Feeling lonely, later in life, increases risk of Alzheimer’s disease

Previous studies have shown that social isolation, or having few interactions with others, is associated with an increased risk of dementia and cognitive decline.

However, little was know about the emotional isolation, which refers to feeling alone rather than being alone.

Robert S. Wilson, PhD, and his colleagues, analyzed the association between loneliness and Alzheimer’s disease in 823 older adults over a four year period.

Participants underwent evaluations that included questionnaires to assess loneliness, classifications of dementia and Alzheimer’s disease, and testing of their thinking, learning and memory abilities. Loneliness was measured on a scale of one to five, with higher scores indicating more loneliness. The data was collected between November 2000 and May 2006.

According to the study, risk for developing Alzheimer’s disease increased approximately 51 percent for each point on the loneliness score, so that a person with a high score (3.2) had about 2.1 times greater risk of developing Alzheimer’s disease than a person with a low score (1.4). The findings did not change significantly when the researchers factored in markers of social isolation, such as a small social network and infrequent social activities.

“Persistent loneliness in people makes them more vulnerable to the dementia associated with Alzheimer’s disease,” said Wilson. “Humans are very social creatures. We need healthy interactions with others to maintain our health.”